VARIANT

A LOKI CHARITY FANZINE

PREORDERS NOW CLOSED

ABOUT

This is a non-profit, for charity art fanzine about Loki and all variations of them! Loki is the main focus, but other characters will be allowed in the drawing with them, with platonic relationships only.

All profits will go to Rainbow Railroad, which is a global non-profit organisation dedicated to helping LGBTQIA+ people escape state-sponsored violence and persecution.

You may find out more about the organisation here: https://www.rainbowrailroad.org/

This zine is the brainchild of @tvheit, who will say outright that they do not have much experience with the moderation of a zine and will depend a lot on the help of the other mods for this zine. The other mods have a lot of experience.

Please check out the FAQ & links for other information & updates.

MODS

HEI
Role: Organization & Project Management
Contact: Twitter @tvheit

VI
Role: General & Communications
Contact: Twitter @shiny_bishie

AMITIEL
Role: Marketing & Communications
Contact: Twitter & Tumblr: @absolutelynoct

REL
Role: Shipping & Finances
Contact: [email protected]

HUI
Role: Graphics & Layout
Contact: Twitter @xerouo

Guidelines

Variant: A Loki Zine
Guidelines

Welcome to Variant: A Loki Zine! We are so excited for this zine and can’t wait to see it come to fruition! Please take the time to read the rules and guidelines carefully and know that all terms and conditions are subject to change.

About:

Variant: A Loki Zine is a safe for work (SFW) zine based on the many iterations of Loki! These can include MCU Loki, Comic-book Loki, Loki in other media, and all other forms of Loki! Your imagination is your only limit! All pieces within the Loki zine must be SFW, i.e. PG-13 (Teen) rated or under. No NSFW pieces will be allowed (including any extreme gore and sexual content). This is a general zine and ship pieces are not allowed. All proceeds for the zine will be donated to charity.

Contributors:

For this zine, we are seeking around 30 artists and 10 writers, pending the number of applicants and the needs of the zine. We will also be accepting merch artists based on the number of applicants and need, although the exact number is TBD. For those interested in being a merch artist, you will be expected to submit a portfolio just as page artists will. All participants must be 13 years of age or older to participate at the time of application.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions and concerns of health and safety, we do not feel it is in the best interest of those applying to accept cosplayers at this time. We have opted to take this route as asking cosplayers to put their health and safety in potential jeopardy for a zine is not within our realm of comfort. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Our goal is that all contributors will receive at least a physical copy of the zine, pending sales. A digital copy is guaranteed to all contributors. In the event that a contributor does not want a physical copy, they may forgo it for a digital copy only (i.e. space limitations).

This zine is a general zine and will not have any ships involved. Any preferences based on shipping will not be discussed nor allowed in the zine and our discord is also ship free. Additionally, we don’t take into account shipping preferences from mods or potential contributors as this is a general zine. We take on participants based on their ability to do the project. Any harassment done to or by our zine participants will not be tolerated.

The purpose of this zine is to raise money for charity and for us all to celebrate the many iterations of Loki! We will not address any more shipping related questions as we have reiterated our point already.

General Guidelines for In-Zine Content:

All in zine content must represent a version of Loki. No shipping will be allowed - this is a general zine. Mild cursing is allowed. If you are concerned about the content of your piece, please speak to a mod for clarity. All applicants must seek final approval from the mod team before submitting their works to the google drive upon completion.

You may not get the first concept you want to include, depending on the number of applicants that wish to write or illustrate a concept. For that reason, we ask for flexibility with choosing your piece and to be aware that if you cannot do your first choice, you should have other options in mind. Upon acceptance, mods will announce how concept claims will be handled to allow for contributors to achieve a concept that they are happy and comfortable with.

Writers:

In Zine Content: Writers will be expected to write a piece between 1500-2000 words. Works must be submitted via google drive (will be provided) on a program that can be accessed easily from any computer (Microsoft Word, Google Docs, etc.). Works may be beta read by an outside beta, but final approval and beta reading will go through the mod team. If you are submitting another written medium (ex: poetry), we will work with you to find a reasonable word count for your piece!

Application Specifications: Writers will be expected to submit 3 pieces demonstrating their ability as a writer. Each piece cannot be more than 3,000 words (with a 10% word leeway). At least one piece is required to demonstrate the writer’s ability to write Loki. We are looking for composition, grammar, style, punctuation, characterization, and impact.

Artists:

In Zine Content: Art will be portrait style. Dimensions are A5 with an allowance bleed of 1/8". Images must be done in CMYK & at least 300 DPI. Submissions need to be a .tif or .psd file format. If accepted, a template in the Discord chat will be provided. Please use it!

Application Specifications: We are looking for artists’ understanding of style, composition, color, background, and anatomy. 3 examples should be provided in the application of a good representation of your artwork. At least one piece is preferred to demonstrate your ability to illustrate Loki. Traditional art is accepted as long as it can be high quality scans matching the specifications above for the zine.

††† All of our grading will be completely blind: We will be judging apps only on the content of the application and therefore will NOT be looking at name, socials, etc until AFTER our selections have been made. †††

Unsure of What to Do? Here are some ideas!

MCU Loki & their TV variantsComic Loki (all forms)Norse Mythology LokiLoki crossovers into other mediaLoki in different time periodsRagnarok LokiAmerican Gods LokiMythical Detective Loki RagnarokLoki TTRPG Character MakerYour LokisonaLoki’s fursonaClown LokiHonestly if it’s related to Loki, chances are we’ll accept it.
We highly encourage the inclusion of minority (nonwhite, disabled, gender non-conforming, etc) depictions of Loki! If you anticipate depicting a minority you are not directly a part of, please be respectful and honour the cultures and experiences of those included when doing research for your piece, and put the opinion of those with said experiences before your own.

Zine Specifications:

We are working with an A5 size - 5.8” x 8.3”.

All work submitted must be new and created exclusively for the zine. Do not include any previously published or posted works. We will let you know when you can start posting your pieces publicly - look for it being after the project is completed and the orders have shipped. You will be able to post a preview of your work during pre-orders, and a template will be provided.

Permissions:

By agreeing to all of the above and participating in the zine, you permit the work that you create for Variant: A Loki Zine to be printed in or alongside (in case of any merchandise) the zine and used for the purposes of promoting the zine and your participation in it (e.g. social media posts, image previews, etc). The zine and the merch bundles will be sold to first cover production costs of the zine itself. After all costs are covered, all profits will be donated to the zine’s designated charity. All contributors have permission to resell additional copies of the zine for a personal profit after the preorders have been shipped out. No one may sell another creator's work outside of the zine except for the original creator. Merchandise will only be available for resale to the original creators of said merchandise.

Your work will never be reproduced for purposes unrelated to the zine or displayed without your attribution attached to it. This is just to ensure that no one can prevent the whole zine from being sold by revoking their permissions for their work to be sold in it.

Method of Contact:

All applicants will be notified via email whether they have been accepted or not. If you do not receive an email and social media announcements (twitter/tumblr) have gone out that they have all been sent, please contact a mod so we can verify your email address.

Discord: Discord is the preferred method of contact for the zine. If accepted, you will be provided a discord link in the acceptance email. If you do not have a discord, it is strongly advised that you get one. A mod will help you set one up if you need help.

Email: Should you not have a discord and do not wish to get one for the purposes of this zine, all major communications will then be sent via email. This method is not preferred as all announcements, both major and minor, will be shared on discord and will give you a chance to interact with other contributors. This will not impact your acceptance to the zine, nor will it impact your ability to participate in concept claims, merch voting, and other major milestones for the zine.

Questions & Contact:

Should you have other questions or concerns that have not been addressed in this FAQ, there are several different methods of contact to reach us.

Zine Twitter: @VariantZine
Zine Tumblr: @variant-zine
CuriousCat: https://curiouscat.qa/VariantZine
Email: [email protected]

Applications:

Applications are NOW CLOSED! Decisions will be sent out on the 31st of August, 2021!

Permission Granted by the Heart & Soul: A Prompto Ship Zine Head mod to use their FAQ as a template for the purposes of this zine. All other similarities to other FAQs are purely coincidence.

CONTRIBUTORS

ARTISTS

WRITERS

FAQ

WHAT IS VARIANT?

Variant: A Loki Fanzine is an unofficial fanzine based on the many iterations of Loki! It is a general (no-shipping) SFW with a PG-13 rating, and therefore may contain content such as coarse language and mild blood.

The zine will be an A5 physical book, and is estimated to have around 100+ pages of beautiful art and fic. Add-on physical merch and a PDF option will be available, with more information coming during the preorder period. There will be plenty of Marvel, but you will see other wonderful Loki variations as well!

IS THIS ZINE FOR PROFIT OR CHARITY?

This zine is a non-profit charity zine. All proceeds will be donated to Rainbow Railroad, which is a global non-profit organisation dedicated to helping LGBTQIA+ people escape state-sponsored violence and persecution. You may find out more about the organisation here: https://www.rainbowrailroad.org/

Our goal is that all contributors will receive at least a physical copy of the zine, pending sales. A digital copy is guaranteed to all contributors. In the event that a contributor does not want a physical copy, they may forego it for a digital copy only (i.e. space limitations).

WHO ARE THE CONTRIBUTORS?

There are currently around 60 unbelievably talented writers and artists working on this project! You may check them all out here:

TIMELINE

July 27, 2021: Zine Announced
August 7, 2021: Applications Open
August 19, 2021: Applications Close
August 31, 2021: Application Results Sent Out
September 3, 2021: Deadline to Confirm Participation
October 3, 2021: First Check In
November 3, 2021: Second Check In
November 20, 2021: Merch & Cover finalized
December 17, 2021: Final Drafts Due
December 20, 2021: Preorders Open
January 31, 2022: Preorders Close
February 18, 2022: Preorders Close (extended)
Early February-March 2022: Manu orders Submitted
April-May 2022: Shipment & Fulfilment

HOW CAN I BUY/SUPPORT THIS ZINE?

You can follow us on any of our social media listed below for updates!

The preorder period will be around mid December 2021 to mid February 2022, and you may preorder the zine then. More information related to the store and purchasing from the UK/EU will be released closer to the date. The storefront used will most likely be Bigcartel.

OTHER QUESTIONS?

Should you have other questions or concerns that have not been addressed in this FAQ, reach out to us via ask/DM/curiouscat or ask a mod!

Zine Twitter: @VariantZine
Zine Tumblr: @variant-zine
CuriousCat: https://curiouscat.qa/VariantZine
Email: [email protected]

SCHEDULE

This schedule is subject to change. If changes are implemented, the creation period will not be shortened.

TaskDate
Zine AnnouncedJuly 27, 2021
Application OpenAugust 7, 2021
Applications CloseAugust 19, 2021
Application Results Sent OutAugust 31, 2021
Deadline to confirm ParticipationSeptember 3, 2021
First Check InOctober 3, 2021
Second Check InNovember 3, 2021
Merch & Cover FinalizedNovember 20, 2021
Final Drafts DueDecember 17, 2021
Pre-Orders OpenDecember 20, 2021
Pre-Orders CloseFebruary 18, 2022
Orders SubmittedFebruary 2022
Shipment/FulfillmentApril/May 2022